Glossary · AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
Optimization for engines that synthesize direct answers (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot) rather than for traditional ranked-list search.
Answer Engine Optimization is the practice of structuring content, schema, and entity signals so that AI-driven answer engines surface and cite your business. Where SEO targets blue-link rankings, AEO targets the citation slot inside an AI-generated answer.
The mechanics overlap with SEO (schema, content quality, citations) but the optimization targets are different. AEO favors specific named entities, structured data, and content that answers buyer-intent questions directly.